Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about advice about Council tax payments because the matter has been remedied.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains that she was told that her Council tax payments were up to date which was incorrect.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Ms X says that she telephoned the Council in May and July 2022 to ask if she still owed Council tax. She says the Council told her she was up to date but later she received a Council tax bill for £800.
6. The Council says that the advice was correct based on the information available at that time. The Council has, however, offered Ms X a payment plan to avoid difficult budgeting problems caused by the debt.
7. I am not satisfied that there is evidence that the Council’s advice was wrong. Nevertheless, the Council tax still has to be paid. Any fault by the Council would have caused budgeting problems and the Council’s offer of a payment plan, in my view, is a suitable remedy to this complaint.
8. Ms X also says that the Council delayed dealing with notification to them of a change of tenant/liability. The Council apologised for this delay but

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate @’s complaint because @

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman